Mexican flies 5,000 miles to Huddersfield for three hour concert

Dec 22 2008 By Val Javin

MEXICAN Luis Ramirez- de-Arellano fulfilled the dream of a lifetime.

He flew more than 5,000 miles across the world just to hear Huddersfield Choral Society sing Handel’s Messiah.

Tears filled the 76-year-old’s eyes as he sat in Huddersfield Town Hall with his wife Martha, 72, by his side.

She said: "It has been his dream for more than 50 years and thanks to our son, Luis, and to Huddersfield Choral Society, we have now made that dream a reality. said Senora Ramirez-de-Arellano.

"My husband first heard Messiah on the radio when he was a child living in Mexico City.

"Later he went to Harvard to train as an engineer and it was then, in 1955, that he was able to buy a recording of the Huddersfield Choral Society conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent.

"Since then he has dreamt of hearing the choir sing the music that he loves so much. The recording is very precious to us. It is still ‘perfecto’ and we play it at Christmas.

"If you have a dream like that, you have to make it happen."